Several Peruvian cities have been affected by heavy rains after an unusual warming of the Pacific Ocean’s waters along Peru’s coastline over the summer months December to February, reports Swedish Club in a note to its members. The volume of rivers flowing from the Andes into the Pacific Ocean has increased, causing major flooding on lowlands along the coastline, destroying infrastructure such as bridges and roads.
The Panamerican Highway, which connects Peru’s Pacific Ocean ports, is disrupted, mainly in the northern part of the country, affecting road transportation to the ports of Huarmey, Paramonga, Chimbote, Salaverry, Paita and Talara, located in the northern part of Peru.
The ports’ infrastructure has not been affected and they are working without major disruptions. However, Swedish Club’s Peru Correspondent Overseas Service Agency (OSA) warned that the road disruptions would be affecting outgoing containerized cargoes, especially agricultural and fish products, to be loaded at the ports of Paita and Salaverry.
OSA said that special care should be taken for bulk cargoes soy, maize and fertilizers, mostly discharged at the ports of Paita and Salaverry, due to heavy rains in those areas. Road access to these two ports may be difficult. The ports of Huarmey and Paramonga, which are nearer to the city of Lima, are privately owned and operated. Their infrastructures do not seem to have been affected, but the nearby cities have been. As a result, transportation to these ports at short notice will be impossible, as their only access is by road.
The state of emergency that has been declared by the government mainly comprises the northern part of Peru, although the Central Highway which goes from Lima into the Andes has also been affected, along with the railroad (mineral ores from the highlands, shipped through the port of Callao) service from the Andes.
OSA said that the several messages posted on the internet claiming that Cusco and Machu Picchu have been affected are not true. The photos and or videos supplied as “evidence” are from a previous season. The port of Callao and surrounding
facilities have not been affected by the rain, although some of Lima’s surrounding districts have been affected by floods. Fuller details at: https://tinyurl.com/kn97kbl